The present disclosure relates generally to a gripper attachment that may be mounted to a conveyor. More particularly, the disclosure describes a gripper attachment having a plurality of resilient fingers that may be configured to accommodate the form factor of articles being conveyed.
Conveyors are typically used to transport articles (e.g., a bottle) from one location, for instance a filling station, to another location, such as a packaging area. In some circumstances, the path that the articles ride along as the conveyor moves undergoes a change in elevation, such as from a lower level to an upper level of a facility. As a result, articles of certain form factors can not be simply placed unrestrained on the conveyor as they may move relative to the conveyor where the path begins to incline or decline. This can result in a backup along the conveyor and/or damage to the articles being transported.
Several techniques have been developed to restrain articles placed upon conveyors. One approach involves the use of flights arranged on the conveyor generally perpendicular to the direction of travel. The flights are intended to form valleys and act as ledges for the articles as the path of the conveyor skews from horizontal. This approach, however, does not provide a secure engagement with the articles making its effectiveness at restraining the articles somewhat dependent upon the size and shape of the articles.
An alternative approach involves the use of parallel conveyors that merge toward each other to clamp an article positioned between the conveyors. In some forms, a gripper attachment is secured to the conveyors to aid engagement with the articles. However, to facilitate firm but not excessive engagement, the particular gripper is often tailored to engage a particular article. As a result, the rather limited applicability of a gripper impedes economical use of a single style gripper with articles having different form factors.
In light of at least the above considerations, a need exists for a gripper concept that may engage and conform to articles having distinct and/or complex form factors.